Tag Archives: gift

I write about 150 product reviews a year for the benefit of my fellow cyclists. However, this article is for the benefit of those folks who are lucky enough to have a cyclist as their spouse or significant other. If you are trying to find a great Christmas present for a cyclist I would like to make a few suggestions.

Sip, Clip and Go Coffee For Cyclists

Sip, Clip and Go! Coffee is distinctly geared toward cyclists and I think it would make a great gift for any cyclist, or something they can have at work or at home that reinforces a biker’s message of “I Like My Bike!” Sip, Clip and Go! Coffee retails for $12.99 for a 12-ounce bag and is available in either Whole Bean or Ground. A three pack that has one bag of each flavor is only $35.99. You can order these products online from the Sip, Clip and Go! Coffee Website. This coffee is 100% Organic and Fair Trade.

Road Holland Hilversum Cycling Jersey

I own dozens of cycling jerseys, but the highest quality jersey I’ve ever bought is from a small company called Road Holland (based in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida). I wrote a lengthy product for the Road Holland Hilversum Jersey several months ago, but if you are not a cyclist it probably won’t mean much to you. These are not the cheapest jerseys on the market, but they are my favorite. The great news is that everything in their online store is 20% off when you use coupon code “ORANGE” at checkout (sale runs through January 6, 2013).

Nashbar Deluxe Tool Kit

If your favorite cyclist wants to work on their own bike, but they don’t have the right tools yet, I would suggest you buy the Nashbar Deluxe Tool Kit. This tool kit retails for $260, but at the moment it is on sale for $150 from the Bike Nashbar Website. The Nashbar Deluxe Tool Kit is a nice collection of bike tools and they easily fit in the included tool box. The collection includes the following tools: Cassette lockring remover, Cartridge Bottom Bracket tool, Chain rivet extractor for UG/HG/IG, Cable cutter, Three spoke wrenches, Two sturdy tire levers, Crank remover, Chainring nut wrench, T-handle Hex set (2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10mm), Torx 25 wrench, one Phillips and one slotted screwdriver, 15mm pedal wrench, Cone wrench set (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19mm), Hollowtech 2 Bottom Bracket wrench, and a measuring tape. To help you keep your bike clean this set also includes a very good chain cleaner, along with a cog brush and larger cleaning brush.

Bowflex SelectTech 552 Adjustable Dumbbells

If your significant other likes to work out with weights (in addition to their cycling) then one of the best investments you will ever make in their health is a pair of Bowflex SelectTech 552 Adjustable Dumbbells. Each Bowflex SelectTech 552 dumbbell adjusts from 5 to 52.5 pounds (in 2.5-pound increments up to the first 25 pounds). Because of the beautifully designed dial system you can change the weight of a dumbbell in a matter of seconds. The Bowflex SelectTech 552 dumbbells work far better than I expected and I would highly recommend them to anyone. They take up very little room and are a pleasure to work with. This product also comes with a DVD that shows how to correctly perform over 30 exercises. I bought my Bowflex SelectTech 552 dumbbells at a brick-and-mortar Dick’s Sporting Goods store for $400. However, I wish I would have checked Amazon.com first—they sell the set for $300 and offer free shipping!

Buy A Gift Certificate For Your Favorite Cyclist

If you still can’t figure out what the love of your life would like you can never go wrong with a gift certificate! If your favorite cyclist speaks with glowing terms about their local bike shop, then that is where you should go first. Most bike shops will either have an actual gift certificate available or give you a receipt showing how much “in store credit” you purchased. However, if your beloved tends to buy most of their cycling clothing online, I’d get them a gift certificate from eCyclingstore.com. This company offers decent quality merchandise and their prices are hard to beat.

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When I was a child the only part of the newspaper I read was the comics. As the grew older I realized that most of the comics were not all that funny after all, and when I finally cancelled the dead tree edition of the city newspaper eight years ago I didn’t miss the comics at all. However, last year I found Yehuda Moon and the Kickstand Cyclery and my love for comics returned!

Yehuda Moon and The Kickstand Cyclery is a comic strip drawn by cartoonist Rick Smith. This comic strip first appeared in 2008 and tells the story of bike shop owner Yehuda Moon and his partner, Joe King. Together they run Kickstand Cyclery. As you read the series you are introduced to a host of colorful characters, such as Thistle Gin, Sister Sprocket, and Fred Banks (the deceased owner of the bike shop). While Yehuda and Joe run their shop you also get to meet some of their customers (any resemblance between me and the “bike hypochondriac” are purely coincidental and highly insulting).

You can read the 1,300+ Yehuda Moon comics from 2008–2011 online for free, but you will need to become a member of the Kickstand Club to have access to the comics for 2012 (though Monday’s comics are available to anyone). Club membership is only $12 a year and it will also give you access to a few features that are not available elsewhere, like desktop and mobile wallpapers and a 5% discount on Yehuda Moon merchandise.

The Yehuda Moon comics are also available in book form. I purchased Volume 1: Life On A Bicycle last year—it contains 344 comics that were first published in 2008. Earlier this week volumes 2, 3 and 4 of Yehuda Moon arrived and I am savoring each one. Volume 2: Saddle Stories contains 360 comics from 2009. The 350 comics from 2010 are in Volume 3: Spin On By. The last book is Volume 4: Keep ‘Em Rollin’, and it has 280 comics from 2011. These four volumes retail for $15 each and are professionally printed in full color on heavy stock. Each book measures 8″ x 10″. If you are looking for a great gift for your favorite cyclist this series of books is it (face it, no one needs another water bottle). These books are available from the Yehuda Moon Website and from Amazon.com.

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If you are looking for a last-minute Christmas gift for your favorite cyclist, I found two items that might be of interest to you (and them), providing they have a desk job and a business card. Since my wife didn’t think of buying one of these for me last Christmas, I had to buy them myself. I have a large desk and both of these business card holders sit on it to greet any visitors to my office (I have two different business cards so I need both holders).

Road Bike Business Card Holder

I purchased the Road Bike Business Card Holder from bikegifts.net, a company out of Mahwah, New Jersey. This business card holder is 8.5″ wide, 7″ tall, and 2″ across. This holder is made of hand cut recycled steel, so no two of them are exactly alike. It is also welded and painted by hand. This item is large enough to hold about 50 business cards. I paid $40 for this holder and that is still the price listed on the bikegifts.net Website. I noticed this same item is also available on Amazon.com, but at a higher price.

Hi-Wheeler Bicycle Name Card Holder

If you want a smaller holder for business cards, you might like the Hi-Wheeler Bicycle Name Card Holder. I have this little holder on my desk sitting right in front of the larger holder mentioned above. This holder is made of cast metal and has a high quality pewter color plating, covered with a clear lacquer finish. This holder is approximately 2″ wide, 2.5″ tall, 3/4″ deep and holds about 50 business cards. The only place I have been able to find this item is from an Amazon.com retailer. The cost is under $16 including postage.

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